NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT LAWS AMENDMENT BILL, B 66 OF 2008

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NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT LAWS AMENDMENT BILL,

B 66 OF 2008

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Process

• Oct 2007 Requested amendments internally and externally

• Nov 2008 1st Draft Bill and internal consultation

• March 2008 DG approval

• Apr 2008 Circulate Bill to national and provincial Departments and NGO’s

• April 2008 Referral to State Law advisors for initial assessment

• May 2008 Cluster approval

• May 2008 Mintec and MinMEC

• May 2008 Published Bill for public comment 30 days later extended with 30 days

• May 2008 Cabinet approval

• June 2008 State Law Advisors certified the Bill

• July 2008 Bill was split into B66 and B67 of 2008

• July 2008 Tabled in the National Assembly

• Aug 2008 Public hearings and deliberations

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Clause 1Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act, 1965

Section 46

• Amendment:

• Penalties increased • for crimes related to smoke, dust and

combustion of fuel pollution:

• 1st Conviction: • Fine: [five hundred] two million rand

or • Imprisonment: for a period not

exceeding [six months] five years,

• 2nd or subsequent conviction:• Fine: [two thousand] five million rand

or • Imprisonment: for a period not

exceeding [one year] 10 years.’’.

• Reason:

• Interpol Pollution Crimes Working Group advised that penalties for environmental crimes were very low.

• Penalties needed to be aligned to other SEMAs

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Clause 2Environment Conservation Act, 1989

Section 29

• Amendment:

• Listed offences:• Fine: [R100 000] R5 million or • to imprisonment for a period not exceeding

10 years or to both such fine and such imprisonment, and to a fine not exceeding three times the commercial value of any thing in respect of which the offence wascommitted.

• Other offences: • Fine: [R2 000] R100 000 or• to imprisonment for a period not exceeding

[six] 12 months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

• Continuing offences:• Fine: [R250] R10 000 or to imprisonment for

a period not exceeding [20 days] six months or to both such fine and such imprisonment in respect of every day on which he or she so persists with such act or omission.’’.

• Reason:

• Penalties needed to be aligned to other SEMA’s

• Listed offences include operating a disposal site without a permit, conducting a restricted activity without written authorisation or undertaking any development or activity prohibited by the competent authority in a limited development area.

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Clause 3Environment Conservation Act, 1989

Section 32

• Amendment:

• Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry

• Regulations [and directions]

• Reason:

• Correction of the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry’s designation.

• ‘Directions’ under ECA does not require prior notice in the Government Gazette

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Clauses 4-6National Environmental Management Act, 1998

Section 1-3

• Amendment:

• deletion of the definition of ‘Committee’’; and ‘‘Forum’’.

• Repeal of Parts 1 and 2 of Chapter 2 – National Environmental Advisory Forum and Committee for Environmental Coordination abolished.

• 3A Establishment of fora or advisory committees

• Reason:

• CEC have not been functioning effectively. – Duplication of other existing structures– Act too prescriptive

• NEAF – Act too prescriptive• Expensive

• Replaced by committees and fora to adress specific needs under the Act.

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Clauses 7 and 8National Environmental Management Act, 1998

Section 11 and 13

• Amendment:

• Removal of reference to CEC

• Reason:

• Consequential amendment

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Clauses 9, 10 and 11National Environmental Management Act, 1998

Section 15, 16 and 22

• Amendment:

• Section 15:

• Substituting the requirement for submission of an environmental implementation plan and environmental

• management plan to the CEC for submission thereof to the Minister

• Section 16

• Removing references to CEC

• Section 22

• Removing requirement of Director General reporting to CEC and NEAF

• Reason:

• Consequential amendment – abolishment of NEAF and CEC

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Clauses 12National Environmental Management Act, 1998

Section 28

• Amendment:

• In the event of non-compliance with a directive the Director General or provincial head may take reasonable measures to remedy the situation or apply to a competent court for appropriate relief.

• The Director-General or provincial head of department may recover all costs incurred, including anticipatory costs, which costs may be claimed and recovered before acting.

• No person may—• (a) unlawfully and intentionally or negligently

commit any act or omission which causes or is likely to cause pollution or degradation

• of the environment;• (b) unlawfully and intentionally or negligently

commit any act or• omission which detrimentally affects or is

likely to affect the• environment; or• (c) refuse to comply with a directive.

• Reason:

• Enabling recovery of anticipatory cost.

• Creation of new offence – penalty of R10 mil and 10 years.

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Clause 13 National Environmental Management Act, 1998

Section 30

• Amendment:

• Penalty for non-compliance with the duty to report emergency incidents

• R100 000 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years, or to both such

• a fine and such imprisonment.’’.

• Reason:

• Enable the enforcement of the duty to report emergency incidents

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Section 31

• Amendment:

• Deletion of redundant subsections (1)-(3).

• Reason:

• Now regulated under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000.

• Creates uncertainties in interpreting the law.

• Not aligned to PAIA.

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Section 31F

• Amendment:

• Removal of requirement for environmental Management Inspectors to carry the letter of designation with them at all times.

• Reason:

• An environment management inspector is forced to carry with him at all times both his or her identity card, as well as the letter of designation. This has practical implications if inspectors do not have their letter of designation with them. It is the opinion that an identity card was sufficient.

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Section 31H

• Amendment:

• Authorising provision take photographs or make audio-visual recordings of anything or any person that is relevant for the purposes of an investigation or for a routine inspection.’’.

• Reason:

• Environment management inspectors do not have the right to take photographs or audio-visual recordings during routine investigations. This causes practical problems which the amendment seeks to remedy.

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Section 31K

• Amendment:

• Empowering Environmental Management Inspectors to conduct routine inspections and search vehicles.

• Reason:

• At present environmental management inspectors cannot conduct routine inspections or search a motor vehicle during such an inspection. The amendment now gives them these powers.

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Section 31N

• Amendment:

• Non-compliance reports to DG / Head of Provincial Department.

• Removal of requirement to report matter to Director of Public Prosecutions.

• Reason:

• At present non-compliance reports are reported to the Minister or the MEC.

• As this is a purely administrative rather than an executive function, this can be carried out by the Director-General or Head of Department concerned.

• Further, it is felt that it is not necessary to report the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions as this is against public policy and the Public Service Commission Code of Conduct.

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Section 31Q

• Amendment

• Confidentiality clause does not apply to information that pertains to—

• (a) environmental quality or the state of the environment;

• (b) any risks posed to the environment, public safety and the health and

• well-being of people; or• (c) compliance with or contraventions of any

environmental legislation by any person.

• Reason

• In order to give some form of protection to persons who must disclose information on the environment, new provisions have been included to indicate the type of information that may be disclosed.

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Section 34

• Amendment:

• Whenever a person is convicted of an offence under any provision listed in Schedule 3 the court convicting such person may summarily enquire into and assess the monetary value of any advantage gained or likely to be gained by such person in consequence of that offence, and, in addition to any other punishment imposed in respect of that offence, the court may order—

• (a) the award of damages or compensation or a fine equal to the amount so assessed; or

• (b) that such remedial measures as the court may determine must be undertaken by the convicted person.’’.

• Reason:

• The current section does not provide for the court to order the convicted person to undertake remedial action.

• This places a heavy financial burden on the Department if it undertakes the necessary measures, as the cost is invariable not budgeted for and the chances of recovery are sometimes at risk. The amendment seeks to rectify this.

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Section 34H

• Amendment

• Jurisdiction of magistrate’s court expanded to impose any penalty prescribed by this Act.’’.

• The current jurisdiction of magistrates is limited to R60 000 and R300 000 for regional magistrates.

• Reason:

• Fines were previously limited to the Adjustment of Fines Act, 1991 (Act No.101 of 1991), which translated to a maximum of R300 000. As the amount of fines under this Act has been increased, this amendment seeks to allow the magistrates’ court to have jurisdiction instead of the High Court.

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Part (a) and (b) of Schedule 3

• Amendment:

• Part (a) and Part (b) of the Schedule to this Act are hereby substituted for Part (a) and Part (b) of Schedule 3 to the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 by this Act.’’.

• Reason:

• Schedule 3 to the Act relating to applicable offences has been updated and now includes other Acts and Ordinances.

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Clause 23 National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003

Section 49A

• Amendment:

• The amendment seeks to regulate ownership of animals in protected areas, management of escaped animals, duty to report escaped animals.

• It allows for an animal to be killed if human life is at stake.

• Reason:

• The National Environment Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 has no empowering section providing for animals occurring in protected areas where private ownership cannot be proved. The proposed amendments now give ownership in trust to the State.

• It will also be the State’s responsibility to manage escaped animals. This section further provides that a person who becomes aware of an escaped animal is obliged to report this, failing which it will be an offence.

• Further, the section allows a person to kill an animal if human life is at stake, while exempting the management of authority from liability, except if negligent or acted intentionally.

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Section 82

• Amendment:

• Minister or MEC may expropriate the servitude or the privately held right in or to State land, in accordance with the Expropriation Act, 1975 (Act No. 63 of 1975), subject to section 25 of the Constitution.

• Reason:

• Currently the Act only allows the Minister to expropriate a servitude but excludes a privately held right in State land. This is now rectified to include privately held rights to State land.

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Section 88

• Amendment:

• Regulations

• 1st Conviction: • Fine: R5 million or• imprisonment for a period not exceeding

five years

• Second or subsequent conviction:• Fine not exceeding R10 million or• imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10

years or in both instances to both a fine and such imprisonment.’’.

• Reason:

• Offences under the regulations for the proper administration of special nature reserves, national parks and world heritage sites includes intentionally causing pollution, deface cultural heritage resources, harm or cause death to any individual or population of any protected species; significantly alter or change the sense of place or any environmental, cultural or spiritual values; or remove or be in possession of a cultural artifact.

• The amount of fines or imprisonment for contravention of a regulation has been increased so as not to limit it to the Adjustment of Fines Act, 1991, which has not caught up with inflation or the seriousness of the offence.

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Section 89

• Amendment:

• New offences – failure to report escaped animal.

• First conviction• Fine not exceeding R5 million or • imprisonment for a period not exceeding

five years

• second or subsequent conviction, • Fine not exceeding R10 million or • imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten

years or in both instances to both a fine and such imprisonment.

• Reason:

• This section has been amended to provide for new offences and to increase the amount of fines or imprisonment so as not to limit it to the Adjustment of Fines Act, 1991, which has not caught up with inflation or the seriousness of the offence.

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Clause 27 National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004

Section 11

• Amendment:

• ‘‘(b) must [monitor] conduct general surveillance monitoring and report regularly to the Minister on the impacts of [any] all categories of genetically modified [organism that has been] organisms released into the environment[, including the impact on non-target organisms and ecological processes, indigenous biological resources and biological diversity of species used for agriculture];’’.

• Reason:

• Monitoring by the South African National Biodiversity Institute should be such that it can identify unforeseen genetically modified organisms. In order to assist the Institute to exercise that function effectively it is proposed that this section be amended to allow for general surveillance and reporting on all categories of genetically modified organism.

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Section 45

• Amendment:

• A biodiversity management plan must:• take into consideration—• (i) any plans issued in terms of Chapter 3 of

the National Environmental Management Act;

• (ii) any municipal integrated development plan; and

• (iii) any other plans prepared in terms of national or provincial legislation that is affected.

• Reason:

• As this section presently reads, the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 is forced to be compliant to subordinate Acts. The proposed amendment seeks to correct this.

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Section 57

• Amendment:

• The Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, exempt a person from a restriction on activities involving threatened or protected species.

• Reason:

• The section does not empower Minister to give exemption for any restricted activity. A new provision has been added to correct this.

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Section 58

• The Minister may by notice in the Gazette amend or repeal any notice published in terms of section 55(1), [or] 56(2) or 57(4).’’.

• The purpose of this section is to allow for the amendment or repeal of certain notices. This has now been extended to include the new notice to be issued under section 57(4).

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Section 78

• Amendment:

• If the Minister has reason to believe that the release of a genetically modified organism into the environment under a permit applied for in terms of the Genetically Modified Organisms Act, 1997 (Act No. 15 of 1997), may pose a threat to any indigenous species or the environment, no permit for such release may be issued in terms of that Act unless an environmental impact assessment has been conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 of the National Environmental Management Act as if such release were a listed activity contemplated in that Chapter.

• Reason:

• It is essential that when genetically modified organisms are released into the environment that a full environmental impact assessment be carried out. The section has been amended to provide for this.

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Section 81

• Amendment:

• ‘‘(a) engage in the commercialisation phase of bioprospecting involving any indigenous biological resources; or’’.

• Reason:

• The amendment to section 81 of the Act is necessitated by the insertion of a new

section 81A

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Section 81A

• ‘‘Notification requirements• 81A. (1) No person may, without first

notifying the Minister, engage in the discovery phase of bioprospecting involving any indigenous biological resources.

• (2) A notice referred to in subsection (1) must be in such form and must contain such other particulars as may be prescribed.

• (3)Aperson involved in the discovery phase of bioprospecting must sign a prescribed commitment to comply with the requirements at the commercialisation phase of bioprospecting.’’.

• At present the Act does not require notification requirements when a person engages in the discovery phase of bioprospecting indigenous biological resources. The present process results in unnecessary delays in the discovery phase and could create unjustified expectations. The amendment is to make provision for this by now providing for notification requirements.

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Section 82

• Amendment:

• ‘‘an indigenous community or a specific individual—’’.

• Reason:

• The present wording of this section does not take into account traditional knowledge of indigenous biological resources known only to specific individuals. This section has now been amended to provide for this.

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Section 85

• Amendment:

• ‘‘(a) [must] may manage the Fund in the prescribed manner or appoint a trustee in terms of the Trust Property Control Act, 1988 (Act No. 57 of 1988), to administer the fund on the Director-General’s behalf in the prescribed manner and under such terms as the Director-General may consider necessary; and’’.

• Reason:

• At present the Bioprospecting Trust Fund is administered by the Director-General. As this is an administrative burden, this could be managed by a trustee falling within the Trust Property Act, 1998 (Act No. 57 of 1998). An option is now provided for the Director-General to have this discretion. The Director-General still retains accountability for the money in the Fund.

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Section 86

• Amendment:

• ‘‘(1) The Minister may by notice in the Gazette—

• (a) declare that this Chapter does not apply to indigenous resources specified in the notice or to an activity relating to such indigenous biological resources; [and] or

• (b) declare that this Chapter does not apply to certain categories of research involving indigenous biological resources or commercial exploitation of indigenous biological resources; and

• (c) amend or withdraw a notice referred to in [paragraph] paragraphs (a) and (b).’’.

• Reason:

• This section has been amended to give the Minister powers to exempt certain categories of research involving indigenous biological resources and commercial exploitation.

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Section 92

• Amendment:

• ‘‘If the carrying out of an activity mentioned in section [90] 87 is also regulated in terms of other law, the authority empowered under that other law to authorize that activity and the issuing authority empowered under this Act to issue permits in respect of that activity may—’’.

• Reason

• The present cross-reference is incorrect and has been amended accordingly.

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Section 93A

• Amendment:

• ‘‘Renewal and amendment of permits• 93A. (1) A permit holder may, before the

expiry date of a permit, apply to an issuing authority for the renewal or amendment of such permit.

• (2) An application for the renewal or amendment of a permit must be in the form, contain such information and be accompanied by such processing fees as may be prescribed.

• (3) In considering an application to renew or amend a permit, the issuing authority must have regard to the same matters which it was required to consider when deciding on the initial application for that permit.

• (4) A issuing authority may for good reason amend or substitute any condition attached to a permit.’’.

• Reason:

• The Act does not provide for the renewal and amendment of permits. This has created administrative problems and the amendment seeks to address this shortcoming.

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Section 97

Amendment:

Empowering provision for the making of regulations for:

• the facilitation of the implementation and enforcement of an international agreement regulating international trade in specimens of species to which the agreement applies and which is binding on the Republic.’’;

• the hunting industry;’’;• the form and content of, and requirements

and criteria for, notification requirements referred to in section 81A and benefit-sharing agreements and material transfer agreements.’’; and

• the conditions subject to which issuing authorities may issue, renew or amend permits in terms of this Act;’’

• Reason:

• This section is at present restrictive to the implementation and enforcement of an international agreement and has now been made applicable to all species to which the agreement applies.

• Further, provision has been made that regulations relating to the ‘‘hunting industry’’ can be made and for the requirements of notification in respect of the new section 81A.

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Clause 40National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004

Section 98

• ‘‘(a) imprisonment for a period not exceeding [five] ten years;

• (b) [an appropriate fine] a fine not exceeding R10 million; or’’.

• Offences includes unauthorized trade or export in threatened or protected species.

• In line with amendments proposed to other laws, the amount of a fine and period of imprisonment has been increased for contravention of a regulation.

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Clause 41National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004

Section 102

• Amendment:

• (1) A person convicted of an offence in terms of section 101 is liable

• to a fine not exceeding R10 million, or an imprisonment for a period not

• exceeding [five] ten years, or to both such a fine and such imprisonment.

• Reason:

• Offences include carrying out a restricted activity involving a threatened or protected species without a permit, alien species, certain alien species totally prohibited, or listed invasive species.

• The amount of a fine (and period of imprisonment) has been amended so as not to limit it to the Adjustment of Fines Act, 1991, which is below this limit.

• The section has also been amended to allow the magistrates’ court to have jurisdiction.

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Clause 42National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004

Section 45

• Amendment:

• ‘‘(1) A licensing authority must review a provincial atmospheric emission licence or an atmospheric emission licence at intervals specified in the licence, or when circumstances demand that a review is necessary, on payment of the prescribed processing fee.

• (2) The licensing authority must inform the licence holder and the relevant provincial air quality officer, in writing, of any proposed review, [and] the reason for such review and the cost of the prescribed processing fee.’’.

• Reason:

• At present there is no provision for the payment of a prescribed processing fee where a licence must undergo a periodic review. As this is the accepted norm, the amendment seeks to remedy this.

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Section 49

• Amendment:

• ‘‘(c) that person has been a director or senior manager who is or was a director or manager of a company, a juristic person or firm to whom paragraph (a) or (b) applies; and’’.

• Reason:

• The present wording of the section excludes reference to a ‘‘juristic person’’, which was excluded per error. It is important to have it included as its members may fall within the ambit of the section. This has now been remedied.

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Section 52

• Amendment:

• a fine not exceeding R10 million, or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years, or to both a fine and such imprisonment.

• ‘‘(3) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any other law, a magistrate’s court shall have jurisdiction to impose any penalty prescribed by this Act.’’.

• Reason:

• Offences includes performing a listed activity if air pollutants at concentrations above the emission limits, specified in an atmospheric emission license, are emitted as a result of that activity.

• Fines were found to be low for environmental crimes by an INTERPOL Working group.

• The amount of a fine has been amended so as not to limit it to the Adjustment of Fines Act, 1991, which is below this limit. The section has also been amended to allow the magistrates’ court to have jurisdiction.

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NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT LAWS AMENDMENT BILL, B 66 OF 2008

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